There may be newer and snazzier re-tellings of the ancient myths, but Bulfinch's Mythology has been a solid standard for roughly 150 years. You'll want to find a complete and unabridged version, which includes all three original volumes: The Age of Fable (Greek and Roman mythology, with brief sections on Eastern and Nordic mythology at the end), The Age of Chivalry (the legends of Arthur, along with tales from the Welsh Mabinogeon and a few historical incidents) and Legends of Charlemagne (romanticized tales of French ruler, Charlemagne -- though much of this comes from Italian poets). Thomas Bulfinch's renderings of these tales are very condensed and perhaps a bit dry, but the compression certainly keeps the action fast and furious, covering amazing amounts of material in a hurry. He favors the Roman versions of the ancient mythology -- I would have preferred the original Greek, but it provides a solid grounding regardless. The British legends include a lot more than the expected standards, and some of the more obscure tales are real way out yarns. I had no idea what to expect from the Charlemagne material, but found that it contrasted nicely with the British legends. Much more colorful and convoluted, with a wide cast of characters (Orlando, Rinaldo and many more) tearing around Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East in wildly careening and colliding plotlines. With all three volumes, it's a crash course in centuries of folklore in a breezy 860 pages. Learn the terrain here, dig deeper elsewhere.